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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · land · bay · squash · rush · dip · perch · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. staff — employees
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. staff — employees
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. file — a line of people
  11. staff — a stick
  12. perch — the fish
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. file — a document
  21. dip — to sink
  22. land — to come down
  23. rush — hurry
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com